DEFLECTING & LOOPING STRATEGIES
JORDAN BELFORT
OVERVIEW
Deflect and Loop is deeply woven into the fabric of the Straight Line Persuasion System. It would
be difficult to understand how it works and its significance to your overall success as a closer
without revealing much more of the contents of the Straight Line Persuasion System.
For the sake of brevity, we've assembled the Deflect and Loop Glossary which will help "fill in the
blanks" so Deflect and Loop makes perfect sense.
DEFLECT & LOOP GLOSSARY
Deflect – To set aside an objection, or delay answering an objection until the salesperson senses
the timing is right to do so. This allows the salesperson to maintain control of the conversation as
well as maintain rapport.
Loop – To return to a particular part of the presentation to emphasize reasons why the prospect
should love the product, the salesperson and the company.
Language Pattern – Specific phrases or sentences designed to elegantly change the direction of
the conversation or to move the sale farther down the Straight Line. The Straight Line Persuasion
System utilizes many different types of Language Patterns. The ones revealed in this course are
specific to Deflect and Loop.
The Straight Line – If a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, then The Straight
Line is the shortest distance between the Open and the Close of any sales encounter.
The 3 Tens – In any sales encounter the prospect must evaluate three distinct elements before
making a commitment to buy. These three elements are the product, the person selling the
product and the company offering the product.
A buying decision is reached only when absolute certainty about these three elements is reached
in the mind of the prospect. Absolute certainty is represented by a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. So
when the 3 Tens are met – the prospect is absolutely certain about the product, the salesperson
and the company – a buying decision will be made.
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JORDAN BELFORT
HOW IT ALL PLAYS OUT
On rare occasions a prospect will be ready to buy the very first time you ask for the order. More
often than not, the prospect will hesitate and come up with some reason why he or she cannot
move forward. "Let me think about it" is the often heard response, although objections at this
point in the sales process can take on many forms.
The issue here is that the prospect lacks sufficient certainty in one or more of the 3 Tens and
cannot move forward. Rather than initiate a full frontal assault on the objection, you will simply
deflect it by calmly uttering a simple and specific language pattern, which you'll find in the
enclosed manual.
This sets the stage for you to re-sell the prospect (loop back) on one of the 3 Tens, typically the
product. As you move down the Straight Line you'll continue to make trial closes and loop back
with additional language patterns until the 3 Tens have been achieved. In most cases, three
loops will be required before the prospect is ready to buy.
Before we begin our discussion on deflecting and looping, let's back up to a point before you
ask for the order and cover a key issue regarding a prospect's buying beliefs.
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DEFLECTING & LOOPING STRATEGIES ™
MAKING YOUR PRESENTATION &
ASKING FOR THE SALE
As you move down the line, one of the most important transitions is switching from asking
qualifying questions into making your presentation.
Once you determine that the client has the money and should buy your product, what you say
next is very simple: “Let me say that based on everything you have just told me, this is the
perfect fit for you.” And then move into your presentation.
Do not change the tonality or the basic language. This may seem overly simple, but it works
every time!
As you give your presentation and continue moving down the line, eventually you get to the point
where you ask for the sale.
It usually sounds something like, “Okay, let me tell you how easy it is to get started. It’s a
question of your name, some basic information and credit card number. The product
arrives in three days and believe me you won’t be sorry. Sound fair enough?”
That may not be your exact language, but it signals the point in the process where the client starts
to say “no.” In fact, the sale doesn’t really start until the client says “no.” Then your job is to
reframe any and all objections until the “no” becomes a “yes.”
KEY POINT
The best way to deflect an objection is to answer it before the client brings it up.
With the Straight Line system you’ll be anticipating all objections, looping them back, and knocking
them out before the client even brings them up.
YOU
The Promised Land:
Closing the Sale
(Leads to Massive
Wealth & Success)
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JORDAN BELFORT
You’ll also be knocking out the client’s buying beliefs before they bring them up. The client will
never say to you, “I’m not buying because my mommy told me never to buy from strangers.” But
it’s those kinds of beliefs that hold most people back. They were taught not to trust salespeople
and not to do business with people they don’t know.
The client will also never tell you “I’m running a mental calculation right now, and I sense that if I
make this decision there’s a good chance I will feel more pain than pleasure in the future.” The
client won’t say that, but you know that’s what he’s thinking. As you move down the line you’re
going to knock that out with a language pattern that addresses those types of beliefs.
As you move down the line, adding positives and removing negatives, the client is running
a constant mental calculation. They weigh those positives and negatives against an ultimate
gravity force that is based on their beliefs. Their beliefs and objections make the “buying scale”
very heavy. As you start knocking away those beliefs and objections, the scale gets lighter and
lighter. All of a sudden you knock one thing off, it could be either logic or emotion, and the scale
drops and the client buys. The mystery of sales is you never know what that one thing will be.
BELIEFS
OBJECTIONS
POSITIVE
REASONS
TO BUY
All clients have a “buying scale.” A sale occurs when you knock away
enough beliefs and objections so the scale tilts toward a “buy” decision.
Imagine the client’s mind as a high-tech combination lock that you’re trying to pick. You get
the first number in place and nothing happens. Same with the second number. But you get all
three numbers in place and all of a sudden you hear a click, the safe opens, and the client buys.
Everyone has a different buying strategy. Your job is to uncover the strategy and pick the lock for
each client.
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JORDAN BELFORT
YOUR FIRST “NO”
Use Deflection!
When you hear “no” for the first time, engage in a process called “deflection.” Put the client’s
concern off to the side. Use the exact language pattern below so you can go back and get him to
a “10” in his love of your product.
LANGUAGE PATTERN #1
“I hear what you are saying, but let me ask you a question.
Does the idea make sense to you?”
Don’t say that you understand what the client is saying. Instead, say you hear what he is saying.
Also, don’t say “Money aside, does it make sense to you?” The “money aside” should be implicit
in your tonality.
QUESTION #1
LOOP #1
Looping
After you deflect the client’s initial refusal, do not directly ask why he is refusing. Instead, go
backward on the line and resell your product. Your second pitch will be more powerful and
bullet-oriented. Use the exact words:
LANGUAGE PATTERN #2
“And let me say this. The true beauty of the program is...”
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JORDAN BELFORT
THE ART OF LOOPING
Looping is the process where you capture the three 10’s. Instead of moving down the straight
line, you stop and go backward a bit. You take another shot at creating the three 10’s and go back
to the line as you move forward again.
Establishing your product as a 10 is a given. If the client doesn’t see your product as a “10,”
you’re selling to the wrong people. Looping involves talking less about the product and more
about yourself and the direct benefits to the client. In particular, it involves talking about your
integrity, your company’s integrity and what you can do for the client over the long term.
YOU MAKE 3 LOOPS TO CAPTURE THE THREE 10’S
As you talk, each loop gets tighter until you reach the point where you hit a specific objection. At
that point, you answer the objection and ask for the order. This is where the client starts to buy.
Tonality is critical for both looping and boxing in. This is the time for disarming, not certainty. The
goal is to show the client that you understand their concerns. Certainty tells him that you don’t
care. Part of closing a sale is overcoming the universal perception that all salespeople are evil.
Looping is a great tool for overcoming that perception because it shows that you care.
Getting the client to a “10” on the product should be easy. Getting him there on you and your
company is much harder. The process typically starts when you say, “Sound fair enough?” and
the client responds with, “It sounds good, let me think about it.” In this situation, you have two
options. You can attack the client with more facts and lose rapport. Or you can deflect by asking
if the idea makes sense in a disarming tonality.
When the client agrees that the product is a good idea, begin pacing and leading by entering
his world. Start talking about how trustworthy you are and the integrity of your company. Ask
questions the client will have to agree with. Slowly build the pace until the client gets to a place of
certainty. Then switch your tonality to certainty.
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DEFLECTING & LOOPING STRATEGIES ™
End your script with a very powerful statement that future paces success. Paint a picture of the
client as if he were already enjoying the benefits of your product. This takes the focus off the
product and puts it on what the product can do for him. You deflected his objection by getting him
to admit a few simple truths. Now he is moving toward a “10” in all three areas.
The best way to sell yourself is to use a metaphor, to create an example that is so simple and
undeniably logical that the client has to admit that you’re right. For example, if you were a
stockbroker you might say something like, “Let me ask you a question. If I had been your broker
for the last three or four years, making you money on a consistent basis, you wouldn’t be saying
‘let me think about it right now.’ You’d probably be buying the stock, right?”
If the client says “yes,” you move down the line. If he says “no” or “maybe,” you have to get very
certain because you know that what you’re saying is true. In essence, you need to say, “Let’s cut
to the heart of the matter. You don’t know me and you don’t trust me, so let’s deal with that.”
At this point, reintroduce yourself to the client and reiterate how trustworthy you are. Getting to
know someone can happen very quickly, and you create it by using language and tonality that
says you care. After a while, transition into how great your company is. Talk about what a great
place it is to work, and put a name and a face to the owner. This is how you get the client to 10 in
all three areas.
At the end of the looping process, tell the client what to do by asking for the order.
If people like you they’ll listen to you.
If they trust you they’ll do business with you.
— ZIG ZIGLAR
© 2015 Global Motivation Inc. All rights reserved.
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JORDAN BELFORT
BRINGING OUT THE BIG GUNS
When you ask for the order, you may get the “I have to ask my wife” objection. Again, your best
strategy is to deflect. Say, “Listen I hear what you’re saying” and then go back into the looping
process again. Start reselling yourself and your company, and this time bring out all your heavy
artillery. The third loop is where the big guns come in.
At this point, begin tailoring your language directly to the objection. If the client’s objection is his
wife, weave something about his wife into your presentation. Then tailor your close by mentioning
the wife in it. For example, “Believe me, all I ask is when you make the first $4,000, go buy your
wife a little present because I am sure she deserves it. Sound fair enough?” Then stop talking.
The first person who talks loses.
One of the most powerful closes is to ask what is the worst that can happen. For example,
“Let’s say you sign up for this program and I am totally wrong and the product doesn’t meet your
needs. Is the cost of the product going to put you in the poorhouse?” When the client says
“no,” start building a powerful future pace case. Create a picture in his mind of massive benefits
from doing business with you. This interrupts his decision-making strategy and minimizes all the
damage he may be thinking about if the product doesn’t work out.
It also effectively boxes the client in because you undermine his two cornerstone buying beliefs:
“I don’t buy from people and companies I don’t know and trust, and I don’t buy unless the risk/
reward ratio is heavily weighted in my favor.” The client will never say this to you, but that’s what
he is thinking. Asking, “What’s the worst that could go wrong?” disrupts his pattern of thinking and
inserts a new one that lowers his threshold for buying.
If the client says they have to speak with their partner or accountant, go back into another loop.
Say, “Listen, I understand you have to speak to your partner, but the beauty of this program is..,”
and then position it as the sort of decision they don’t need to talk to their partner about. Then loop
back into reselling yourself and your company, with each loop getting progressively tighter.
In making a presentation one must study
three points: first, the means of producing
persuasion; second, the language;
third the proper arrangement of the
various parts of the speech.
— ARISTOTLE
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DEFLECTING & LOOPING STRATEGIES ™
THE LANGUAGE OF INFLUENCE
Language—the specific words and phrases you use and how you say them—has a huge impact
on your ability to close sales.
The language of closing deals with four specific categories of words and phrases, language
patterns and tonalities. These include:
1
2
3
4
Power words such as minimizers, justifiers and reframers. These are short,
simple words and phrases that have a powerful ability to persuade, influence and
motivate people.
Offsetting language patterns. These are used to respond to objections and defuse
underlying beliefs that get in the way of closing the sale.
Language patterns for looping. Looping is an essential part of the Straight Line
System that involves going backward on the line to resell the client on you, the product
and your company (The Three 10s). It uses specific language patterns to move the
client closer to the sale.
Closing tonal patterns. The closer you get to closing the sale, the more important it
becomes to use the right tonality.
The secret to closing more sales is to save the most powerful language patterns for last, when the
client is right on the edge but not quite ready to say “yes.” Practice these patterns so that they
become an integral, effortless part of your closing process and watch your closing rate soar!
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JORDAN BELFORT
LANGUAGE PATTERNS FOR LOOPING
Looping takes place when you start getting near the close but you can tell the client isn’t quite
ready. These patterns will help you loop effectively and keep moving down the line.
1
2
3
4
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Does it make sense to you? Tonality is essential. Ask in a calm, curious tone,
“Does the idea make sense to you? Do you like the idea?” This is not a pattern to
use with certainty.
True beauty. “You see, the true beauty of the program is that it’s….” and then go on to
describe how it will solve the client’s problems and make his life better. This a beautiful
transition and powerful deflection pattern.
If I had been… “If I had been your financial advisor for the past three years, making you
money on a consistent basis, you wouldn’t be saying ‘Let me think it over’ right now. You
would probably be saying, ‘Let’s get started.’” Again, tonality is key.
As far as my company goes… This is an excellent transition from selling you to selling
your company. “I pride myself on doing this. I pride myself on doing that. I plan on being
the top producer in my company. I am not going to get there without my clients giving me
tons of referrals because they love me. And as far as my company goes…” Then go on
to say all the great things about your company.
What we can do for you besides this one transaction… This should be presented
more as a statement than a question. Find three things (which can include your up-sells)
you can do for the client outside this transaction. In fact, this pattern is a good way to
pre-frame your up sells as benefits.
What’s the worst that could possibly happen? This is the ultimate minimizer. It
allows the client to run through all the possible bad outcomes if the product doesn’t work
out and compare them to all the positives if it does.
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DEFLECTING & LOOPING STRATEGIES ™
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We can start off small. This is an effective pattern for minimizing some of the client’s
fears while setting the groundwork for doing more business in the future. Starting
out small does not mean lowering price, although it can mean buying less so that the
customer doesn’t pay as much.
Please don’t misconstrue my enthusiasm for pressure. Today’s clients are very
distrustful of high-pressure salespeople. This pattern allows you to put it out there and
defuse it. The client will respect you for saying it. If you don’t say it, he may feel you
are pressuring him.
I understand what you’re saying. This is a great response to the person that says,
“Let me think about it.” It is also a great tool for demonstrating caring and empathy.
Say, “I understand what you’re saying” and then loop back to selling your client on you
and the company. If the client still wants to think about it after several loops, get a little
stronger with your tonality. Say, “I understand what you’re saying but let me say this…”
and start using some closing patterns.
Getting started is very simple. “Getting started is very simple. It’s just a question of
some basic information.” This is an excellent soft or trial close.
Cash outlay of only… “Cash outlay” always sounds better than “costs.” You can also
use the term “investment.
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